In a tragic incident on February 7, 2014, in Boston, Massachusetts, 9-year-old Janmarcos Peña, a White/Hispanic male, was fatally shot. The person responsible was his own 14-year-old brother, Juanly Peña. On that morning, while inside their family's home, the older brother pointed a handgun at Janmarcos's chest and pulled the trigger, believing the weapon to be unloaded.
Janmarcos had been home sick from school that day.
Following the shooting, Juanly Peña initially started to call 911 but then instructed his sister to make the call. He then fled the apartment with the gun. Police apprehended him nearby, still in possession of the firearm. The investigation that followed revealed that the older brother had acquired the gun for protection against neighborhood gang members. At the time of the shooting, he was reportedly in a "bad spiral," having stopped attending school after getting into trouble with the law. Authorities noted that he was not forthcoming about how he obtained the weapon.
Juanly Peña, who was 14 at the time of the incident, was charged as a youthful offender, which exposed him to the possibility of an adult sentence. He was initially held on $50,000 bail and pleaded not guilty to charges of manslaughter and unlawful possession of a firearm. However, in August 2014, at the age of 15, he pleaded guilty to the charges. The prosecution acknowledged that the shooting was accidental. Consequently, he was sentenced to remain in the custody of the Department of Youth Services until he turned 21. He also received a suspended three-year state prison sentence, which he would avoid serving if he met certain conditions, including obtaining a GED or a job, undergoing mental health treatment, and staying out of further trouble with the law. The case, which highlighted the tragic consequences of familial violence, concluded with his sentencing, with no other suspects being implicated in the death of young Janmarcos.
